jan milliman

Will I ever achieve my dream of owning a full-size Leg Lamp?

It hasn’t felt all that Christmassy around here so far this year. I think that probably has to do with the warmer weather and lack of snow. We’ve been making preparations and all, but it’s been hard to believe the holiday is so near.

This past weekend, we kicked things into high gear. We started the day at the Brockport UnitarianUniversalist Fellowships’ Christmas pageant. This wasn’t your ordinary pageant, with impromptu participants, our always game minister taking on the role of the donkey, and family-friendly Rocky Horror Picture Show-style call-outs. How could we keep from feeling festive after that?

So, it was off to Green Acre Farm and Nurseryto pick out our big bushy Christmas tree. We divided up the decorating work with the Mister stringing on the lights (mini leg lamps and chili peppers included) and the boy and I on ornament duty.

The final event in our day of holiday cheer was attending John Water’s Christmas Show. What a fabulous and filthy send-up of all that is wonderful and oh-so-wrong about the holidays!

Waters has always had a love of the outlaws and oddballs, as he so delightfully details in his book “Role Models.” He points out that while reality shows tend to look down on their subjects, he looks up to his. Waters revels in being called “The Pope of Trash,”but you could never call him mean-spirited.

The highpoint of the evening for me was having the opportunity to thank Waters for his excellent appearance on a reality show of sorts — Celebrity Ghost Stories (Season 1, Episode 3). It’s not the scariest story, but it’s so satisfying and I love the way he sums up the impact it had on his life. You can buy the episode on iTunesif you haven’t seen it.

Waters was cute and acted like it was silly for me to fuss over this odd little footnote in his career. But sometimes it’s the little moments when we really share with others that make all the difference.